When manufacturing different types of board bodies such as skateboards, wakeboards, snowboards, skimboards, snowskates, surf boards etc one begins with wood in the form of a vertically laminated core or a cross laminated veneer, which is pressed and formed into a substantially rectangular three dimensional concave shape called an uncut blank or hereinafter blank. Since the blank is made of a wooden raw material and sometimes multiple blanks are pressed at the same time in the same mold, the shape of the blank will vary depending on the placement of the bank in the mold, furthermore the shape of the blank can change after pressing due to the surrounding conditions, such as temperature and humidity. The varying shape will be a challenge when manufacturing the board body since the starting material has an indefinite shape.
If one takes a skateboard as an example the material that is used for producing skateboards is soft maple or some other wooden material that will be affected by temperature and humidity as mentioned above. This means that each blank from which the skateboard is manufactured will have an individual or indefinite shape. The skateboards of today are therefore handmade such that the variations of the blank are taken into account. However not even the handmade skateboards do always meet high requirements regarding accuracy.
Regarding skateboards there have the last couple of years also come skateboards into the market provided with fittings provided at the rear and the front end. Such fittings complicate the production of boards as milling the fitting requires a great degree of accuracy.
In order to produce skateboards equipped with fittings or the like in the area of the nose and tail a recess is provided at the nose and tail of the skateboard such that when the fitting is mounted onto the skateboard it is flush with rest of the riding surface of the skateboard. The element which is mounted in the fitting is made from a material that has a lower mechanical damping capacity and a higher modulus of elasticity than the rest of the skateboard body. Such a skateboard is closer described in European Patent no. 1 156 858B1. The fitting is exchangeable and may be changed when worn down and thus prolongs the functional life of the skateboard. Instead of exchanging the entire body or blank of the skateboard it is enough to replace the fitting or fittings without deteriorating the properties of the skateboard. A similar patent for skimboards is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,619.
The use of fittings has not only manifestly changed the life span for skimboards and skateboards, but also for skateboards provided improved performance via a more foreseeable pop when performing the prerequisite maneuver in modern skateboarding tricks, i.e. an ollie. However, compared to manufacturing traditional skateboards without any fittings, the manufacturing of these new skateboards is even more complicated. The reason for this is that the recess into which the fitting will engage requires milling with high precision.
Thus, there is a need for a method and also a system for manufacturing different types of boards, such as skateboards, wakeboards, snowboards, skimboards and snowskates, etc. with a high degree of accuracy and also with a high degree of efficiency.